5.1.2015 11:00
A new study using satellite data suggests that Europe’s vegetation extracts more carbon from the atmosphere than previously thought.
19.12.2014 14:00
While sailing south of Africa on an around-the-world voyage, Matteo Miceli was suddenly alerted to a massive iceberg in his path.
19.12.2014 11:11

For over a decade, we have been releasing satellite images of Earth almost every Friday. Click here for the ‘Earth observation Image of the Week’ gallery of 500 spectacular scenes
19.12.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: underwater structures of the Great Bahamas Bank, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
18.12.2014 15:13

While Rudolf’s bright red nose may guide Santa Claus’s sleigh, satellites show where these reindeer can find the food to fuel their annual trek around the globe
18.12.2014 14:50

Technology image of the week: the moment Sentinel-3A's radar altimeter is wrapped in multilayer insulation
18.12.2014 14:20

Join us Friday, 19 December, at 10:00 CET for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features an image of the Great Bahamas Bank
18.12.2014 11:05
Measurements of salt held in surface seawater are becoming ever-more important for us to understand ocean circulation and Earth’s water cycle. ESA’s SMOS mission is proving essential to the quest.
18.12.2014 11:05
Measurements of salt held in surface seawater are becoming ever-more important for us to understand ocean circulation and Earth’s water cycle. ESA’s SMOS mission is proving essential to the quest.
16.12.2014 10:08

From hundreds of kilometres away, satellites see millimetre movements in the structures and roads around the Palace of Parliament in Romania’s capital
15.12.2014 9:35
CryoSat has delivered this year’s map of autumn sea-ice thickness in the Arctic, revealing a small decrease in ice volume. In a new phase for ESA’s ice mission, the measurements can now also be used to help vessels navigate through the north coastal waters of Alaska, for example.
12.12.2014 10:07

Earth observation image of the week: a false-colour image over the island of Borneo, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
11.12.2014 14:00

Radar images from the Sentinel-1A satellite show ground movement in Mexico City, with some areas sinking up to 2.5 cm/month
11.12.2014 13:40
A new initiative brings ESA and the Asian Development Bank together to exploit satellite Earth observation data for sustainable growth.
11.12.2014 11:45

Join us Friday, 12 December, at 10:00 CET for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features a false-colour image over southern Borneo
5.12.2014 14:10

Learn how Copernicus satellites contribute to soil moisture monitoring – essential information for sustainable development
5.12.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: a mosaic of Sentinel-1A radar scans over Romania, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
4.12.2014 14:57
For more than 18 months, engineers have been carefully piecing together the many components that make up ESA’s Sentinel-3A satellite. Now hosting an array of instruments to provide a wealth of information about Earth’s oceans and land, the satellite is complete, standing proud for testing.
4.12.2014 10:45

Join us Friday, 15 December, at 10:00 CET for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features a Sentinel-1A mosaic of Romania
3.12.2014 16:35
Lovers of architecture and history can rest easy: the stability of historical buildings can now be monitored in real time by a new technique with its roots in space.
3.12.2014 11:40
Scientists are using satellite data to improve understanding of the time it takes for a carbon atom fixed in a plant by photosynthesis to return into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide – known as ‘carbon turnover’.
3.12.2014 10:31

Learn more about ESA’s gravity mission and its scientific achievements with a new interactive iBook. Download it from the iTunes store
3.12.2014 10:31

Learn more about ESA’s gravity mission and its scientific achievements with a new interactive iBook. Download it from the iTunes store
2.12.2014 14:40
Radar images from the Sentinel-1A satellite are helping to monitor ground movements of the recently erupted Fogo volcano.
2.12.2014 12:43

This image of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan was captured by Sentinel-1A, but linked by laser stretching almost 36 000 km across space for high-speed delivery
2.12.2014 12:16

Apply today for the 2015 ESA App Camp in Barcelona, and the opportunity to develop mobile apps that tackle some of the world's greatest challenges
28.11.2014 13:59
Marking a first in space, Sentinel-1A and Alphasat have linked up by laser stretching almost 36 000 km across space to deliver images of Earth just moments after they were captured.
28.11.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: a retreating tropical ice cap in Peru, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
27.11.2014 11:24

Join us Friday, 28 November, at 10:00 CET for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features Peru’s Quelccaya ice cap, the largest in the Tropics
25.11.2014 13:00
A year after the satellite reentered the atmosphere, scientists using data from the GOCE satellite have made a breakthrough in our understanding of ocean currents.
24.11.2014 11:27

Follow the opening of the 5th International GOCE User Workshop via live webstream from the UNESCO headquarters on 25 November at 10:30 CET
24.11.2014 9:23

Satellite data are used to monitor mosquito habitat – providing insight into the prevalence and spread of malaria
21.11.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: a Sentinel-1A radar image of Tokyo Bay, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
20.11.2014 12:00

Media are invited to a press briefing on 25 November in Paris, France, on the scientific results that continue to come from ESA’s GOCE gravity mission
20.11.2014 11:40

Join us Friday, 21 November, at 10:00 CET for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features a Sentinel-1 radar image over ‘megacity’ Tokyo
14.11.2014 10:45

Follow the concluding session of the ‘Big Data from Space’ conference on Friday, 14 November at 15:40–16:00 CET
14.11.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: southeastern Algeria in the heart of the Sahara desert
13.11.2014 16:05

Follow the ‘Big Data from Space’ conference session on managing the avalanche of data in astronomy on Friday, 14 November at 09:00–10:40 CET
11.11.2014 14:20

ESA’s Nicolaus Hanowski joins the Earth from Space video programme to discuss ‘big data’ from space
10.11.2014 10:45

Join us Tuesday, 11 November, at 14:00 CET as ESA’s Nicolaus Hanowski joins the show to discuss ‘big data’ from space
10.11.2014 10:19
With the first Copernicus satellite now operational, ESA and the DLR German Aerospace Center have signed an arrangement on managing and accessing Sentinel data.
7.11.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth’s surface, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
6.11.2014 12:00

Join us Friday, 7 November, at 10:00 CET for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features an image over the Dead Sea: the lowest point on Earth’s surface
3.11.2014 16:28
ESA’s SMOS satellite has clocked up more than one billion kilometers orbiting Earth to improve our understanding of our planet’s water cycle. Marking its fifth birthday, all the data collected over land and ocean have been drawn together to show how moisture in the soil and salinity in the ocean change over the year.
3.11.2014 16:28
ESA’s SMOS satellite has clocked up more than one billion kilometers orbiting Earth to improve our understanding of our planet’s water cycle. Marking its fifth birthday, all the data collected over land and ocean have been drawn together to show how moisture in the soil and salinity in the ocean change over the year.
3.11.2014 16:28
ESA’s SMOS satellite has clocked up more than one billion kilometres orbiting Earth to improve our understanding of our planet’s water cycle. Marking its fifth birthday, all the data collected over land and ocean have been drawn together to show how moisture in the soil and salinity in the ocean change over the year.
3.11.2014 16:28
ESA’s SMOS satellite has clocked up more than one billion kilometres orbiting Earth to improve our understanding of our planet’s water cycle. Marking its fifth birthday, all the data collected over land and ocean have been drawn together to show how moisture in the soil and salinity in the ocean change over the year.
31.10.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: Egmont National Park on New Zealand’s North Island, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
30.10.2014 15:59
Sentinel-2A is in the middle of an extensive testing programme to make sure this land-monitoring satellite is fit for launch next spring. As well as being shaken and stressed, engineers have also checked that it will separate from the rocket for its life in orbit.
30.10.2014 15:59
Sentinel-2A is in the middle of an extensive testing programme to make sure this land-monitoring satellite is fit for launch next spring. As well as being shaken and stressed, engineers have also checked that it will separate from the rocket for its life in orbit.
30.10.2014 13:16

Join us Friday, 31 October, at 10:00 CET for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features an image over Egmont National Park on New Zealand’s North Island
28.10.2014 13:30
In a landmark agreement for Europe’s Copernicus programme, the European Commission and ESA have signed an Agreement of over €3 billion to manage and implement the Copernicus ‘space component’ between 2014 and 2021.
28.10.2014 13:30
In a landmark agreement for Europe’s Copernicus programme, the European Commission and ESA have signed an Agreement of over €3 billion to manage and implement the Copernicus ‘space component’ between 2014 and 2021.
28.10.2014 10:01
As part of the preparations for the Sentinel-5 Precursor air-quality monitoring mission, scientists teamed up in Romania recently to test different airborne systems that will be used to ensure this new satellite delivers accurate measurements of pollutants in the air we breathe.
28.10.2014 10:01
As part of the preparations for the Sentinel-5 Precursor air-quality monitoring mission, scientists teamed up in Romania recently to test different airborne systems that will be used to ensure this new satellite delivers accurate measurements of pollutants in the air we breathe.
24.10.2014 11:35
The first satellite-based service for extensive and uninterrupted monitoring and mapping of land stability has won the top prize in the European Earth-monitoring competition.
24.10.2014 11:35
The first satellite-based service for extensive and uninterrupted monitoring and mapping of land stability has won the top prize in the European Earth-monitoring competition.
24.10.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: the western Indian city of Mumbai, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
23.10.2014 14:00

Join us Friday, 24 October, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features an image over the Indian city of Mumbai
22.10.2014 10:24
Within the first days of its operational life, the Sentinel-1A satellite has provided data for marine services in the Arctic.
22.10.2014 10:24
Within the first days of its operational life, the Sentinel-1A satellite has provided data for marine services in the Arctic.
21.10.2014 14:19

Satellite data can help identify areas prone to the emergence and spread of epidemics such as Ebola, malaria, meningitis or dengue fever
16.10.2014 16:00
Contracts were signed today to build three pairs of MetOp Second Generation satellites, ensuring the continuity of essential information for global weather forecasting and climate monitoring for decades to come.
16.10.2014 15:27

Earth observation image of the week: a Sentinel-1A image over the ‘high desert region’ of the northwestern United States, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
16.10.2014 14:25

Join us Friday, 17 October, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features a Sentinel-1 radar image over the ‘high desert’ in the US state of Oregon
16.10.2014 11:20

Technology image of the week: Deforestation in western Brazil, as imaged by ESA’s Proba-V minisatellite
14.10.2014 13:40
Romania is leading the way in an ambitious project to build an instrument to detect and monitor tiny particles suspended in the air. The new ‘lidar’– the first of its kind in Europe – is set to contribute to ESA’s satellites that focus on the atmosphere.
10.10.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: the southern Darfur region of Sudan and the Kalma refugee camp, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
9.10.2014 14:54

Join us Friday, 10 October, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features an image acquired over southern Darfur, showing part of the Kalma refugee camp
9.10.2014 10:28
Following a decade of cooperation, China has honoured ESA’s Yves-Louis Desnos with the People’s Republic of China Friendship Award – the country’s highest honour for foreign experts who have contributed to China’s economic and social progress.
7.10.2014 14:50
The fragility and beauty of our planet came into focus yesterday with a special viewing of satellite images at Rome’s Palazzo delle Esposizioni. The event was attended by the heads of ESA, NASA, Italy’s space agency and representatives from the Italian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
7.10.2014 9:00

Discover the beauty and fragility of our planet in a special exhibition at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, Italy
6.10.2014 9:45
With the commissioning of Sentinel-1A completed and the satellite’s transfer to the team in charge of its exploitation, its data are available as of today to all users.
This marks the beginning of the satellite’s operational life, delivering radar coverage for an array of applications in the areas of oceans, ice, changing land and emergency response.
3.10.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: the world’s largest known reservoir of crude bitumen in Canada's Alberta province, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
3.10.2014 9:14
ESA’s ice mission has been used to create a new gravity map, exposing thousands of previously unchartered ‘seamounts’, ridges and deep ocean structures. This vivid new picture of the least-explored part of the ocean offers fresh clues about how continents form and breakup.
2.10.2014 15:05

Join us Friday, 3 October, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features an image over the largest known reservoir of crude bitumen
2.10.2014 14:20

Join us Friday, 3 October, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features an image over the largest known reservoir of crude bitumen
2.10.2014 13:46

The latest land-cover map for studying the effects of climate change, conserving biodiversity and managing natural resources has been released
2.10.2014 13:28

Join us Friday, 3 October, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features an image over the largest known reservoir of crude bitumen – and the open-pit mining that’s disturbing the local forests
30.9.2014 16:20
The Sentinel satellites are built primarily to deliver information for environmental services through Europe’s Copernicus programme, but they will also be used to advance our scientific understanding of Earth. Paving the way for easy scientific exploitation, ESA has released three new open source scientific software toolboxes.
29.9.2014 9:45
Data from ESA’s veteran Envisat satellite show ups and downs in the concentrations of the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide and the climate-relevant greenhouse gas carbon dioxide across the globe.
26.9.2014 14:50
Although not designed to map changes in Earth’s gravity over time, ESA’s extraordinary satellite has shown that the ice lost from West Antarctica over the last few years has left its signature.
26.9.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: Sentinel-1 image of Greece’s Attica peninsula, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
25.9.2014 15:30

Join us Friday, 26 September, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features a Sentinel-1 image of Athens, where ESA will be holding a special event for European Researchers’ Night
19.9.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: the jagged Baltic coastline near Finland’s capital, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
18.9.2014 14:12

Join us Friday, 19 September, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features a satellite image over Finland’s Baltic coastline near the capital, Helsinki
17.9.2014 15:46
World-renowned remote sensing experts gathered in Valencia, Spain, last week to train the next generation of Earth observation scientists in the exploitation of satellite data for land applications.
16.9.2014 12:03

Discover the beauty and fragility of our planet in a special exhibition at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, Italy on 30 September – 2 November
16.9.2014 12:03

Discover the beauty and fragility of our planet in a special exhibition at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, Italy on 30 September – 2 November
15.9.2014 16:00
Scientists met in California this summer to test new methods for measuring greenhouse gases. This joint effort helps to show how ESA’s CarbonSat candidate satellite mission could identify sources of carbon dioxide and methane and how they disperse in the atmosphere.
15.9.2014 14:16
Using satellites for improving the exploitation of water resources is just one of the innovative ideas developed over the week-long 'camp' dedicated to creating mobile apps drawing on Earth observation data.
12.9.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: Lake Gairdner in central South Australia
5.9.2014 13:15
Satellites are showing clouds of sulphur dioxide from Iceland’s restive Bardarbunga volcano.
5.9.2014 11:25

Follow the advanced Land Training Course lectures via live webstream from Spain’s University of Valencia 8–12 September. Live coverage continues Wednesday at 9:00 CEST
5.9.2014 11:25

Follow the advanced Land Training Course lectures via live webstream from Spain’s University of Valencia 8–12 September. Live coverage continues Friday at 9:00 CEST
5.9.2014 11:25

Follow the advanced Land Training Course lectures via live webstream from Spain’s University of Valencia 8–12 September. Live coverage continues Thursday at 9:00 CEST
5.9.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: Lake Chad in West Africa’s Sahel region, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
4.9.2014 14:40

Join us Friday, 5 September, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features Lake Chad and its surrounding wetlands in the Sahel region of West Africa
4.9.2014 14:30
Join us Friday, 5 September, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features Lake Chad and its surrounding wetlands in the Sahel region of West Africa
2.9.2014 10:17
Sentinel-1A has added yet another string to its bow. Radar images from this fledgling satellite have been used to map the rupture caused by the biggest earthquake that has shaken northern California in 25 years.
1.9.2014 13:01
Imaging Earth’s land with unprecedented speed and resolution has come another step closer as the next Sentinel satellite has been given its solar wing and started a strenuous six-month test campaign to make sure that it is fit for launch next April.
26.8.2014 15:59
Although it was only launched a few months ago and is still being commissioned, the new Sentinel-1A radar satellite has already shown that it can be used to generate 3D models of Earth’s surface and will be able to closely monitor land and ice surface deformation.
20.8.2014 14:20
Measurements from ESA’s CryoSat mission have been used to map the height of the huge ice sheets that blanket Greenland and Antarctica and show how they are changing. New results reveal combined ice volume loss at an unprecedented rate of 500 cubic kilometres a year.
14.8.2014 14:00
Young Earth scientists from all over the world have wrapped up their two-week course at ESA’s ESRIN centre for Earth observation in Frascati, Italy.
4.8.2014 11:37

Radar satellites, like Sentinel-1A, can detect ground movements down to the millimetre, helping us to understand the processes happening below Earth’s surface
1.8.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: the expansive Rub’ al Khali desert on the southern Arabian Peninsula, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
31.7.2014 15:40

This week, the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme features a Sentinel-1A image of the Rub’ al Khali desert. Join us Friday, 1 August, at 10:00 CEST
30.7.2014 16:51

Sentinel-1A captured this radar image of the
Costa Concordia cruise ship as it was being towed toward Genoa at the weekend
30.7.2014 14:27
Although ESA’s GOCE satellite is no more, all of the measurements it gathered during its life skirting the fringes of our atmosphere, including the very last as it drifted slowly back to Earth, have been drawn together to offer new opportunities for science.
28.7.2014 13:48
Former Copernicus Masters competition winner EOMAP has launched a new web-based application that provides daily maps of Australia’s coastal water quality.
25.7.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: Cal Madow mountain range in northern Somalia, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
24.7.2014 13:30

This week, the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme features Somalia’s Cal Madow mountain range. Join us Friday, 25 July, at 10:00 CEST
18.7.2014 15:03
SMOS is not only delivering key information on soil moisture and ocean salinity for science, but its data are also being used for a growing number of practical applications. Reflecting this versatility along with new synergistic opportunities, the mission will now remain operational until at least 2017.
18.7.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: the site of the former Lake Texcoco where Mexico City sits today, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
17.7.2014 15:56
Following a contract signed with Arianespace today, the second Sentinel-1 satellite is now set to join its identical twin sister in orbit in early 2016, optimising the mission’s global coverage to manage the environment and improve everyday lives.
17.7.2014 13:13

Join us Friday, 18 July, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features the site of the former Lake Texcoco, where Mexico’s capital city sits today
11.7.2014 14:48

Ahead of the World Cup final game on Sunday, learn how satellite data support the construction of large-scale buildings – like football stadiums
11.7.2014 10:05

Earth observation image of the week: Rio de Janeiro and the site of this year’s World Cup final, also featured on the Earth from Space video programme
9.7.2014 9:20
While engineers have almost finished building the first Sentinel-3 satellite for ocean forecasting and marine safety, a beer cooler has an unusual role in supporting the long-term record of sea-surface temperatures.
23.6.2014 14:25
Subsidence, rockfalls and landslides threaten potentially devastating human and economic consequences across Europe – but satellites can help.